Around The Web

Magpies can recognise people and tend to swoop those they see as a threat, but with everyone in masks, they may struggle to distinguish individuals

• Where to buy face masks in Australia
• Australia’s latest Covid-19 face mask advice
• What kind of face mask gives the best protection against coronavirus?

Just like the red rag to a bull, compulsory masks could spell a particularly nasty Victorian magpie-swooping season.

One birdlife expert is speculating swooping might be worse than usual because magpies will find it harder to recognise people.

Continue reading...

The California grid is failing to meet demand in a record heatwave. It is already becoming clear that this is a story of mismanagement, rather than the fault of renewables.

The post California grid melts in record heat. Are renewables to blame? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

While we’re stuck inside our homes, we can effect change by putting our money where our mouth is and ending the fossil fuel era

Six years ago I found myself trying to find shade from the mid-morning sun while having a chat with a farmer, Rick Laird. We were chained together, six metres above the ground, on the deck of an enormous super digger in a clearing in what would become Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek mine.

I had gone up to Maules Creek to show solidarity with the community protesting against the mine; to add my voice to the hundreds of others who joined the Leard blockade and had been arrested. From farmers to uni students, scientists and university professors, and the unforgettable 92-year-old second world war veteran, Bill Ryan. There I met Rick. A farmer, father and volunteer firefighter who had never taken part in any climate action before.

Continue reading...

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

In the latest edition of our Carbon Pulse Conversations podcast, we speak with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) International Counsel Annie Petsonk and WWF Director of Carbon Market Governance and Aviation Brad Schallert about recent developments regarding UN body ICAO’s global aviation offsetting mechanism CORSIA.

Australian developed 'stethoscope for wind turbines' is looking to substantially cut maintenance and repair costs through early damage detection.

The post Aussie “stethoscope for wind turbines” invention could save industry $500m appeared first on RenewEconomy.

WCI market participants see encouraging demand signs ahead of Tuesday’s quarterly carbon allowance sale, but a majority still anticipate the California-Quebec auction will to fail to sell out again due to the impact of the coronavirus.

Researchers in California demonstrate possible solution to two of Earth’s biggest problems – recycling plastic waste and finding cheap ingredients for batteries.

The post Scientists turn plastic bottles into nanomaterials for battery storage appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new global standard on tailings dams aim to prevent mining disasters like the Brazil dam collapse in 2019 – but there's more to do. Deanna Kemp, Professor and Director, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, The University of Queensland John Owen, Professorial Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Nick Bainton, Associate Professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

South Pole’s director of climate policy and carbon markets has left the company to take up a similar role at BP, Carbon Pulse has learned.

Residents in the Brazilian city of Porto Velho city were battling blazes spreading in the dry brush on 16 August, as firefighters arrived at the remote jungle location to fight the fires that continue to threaten the Amazon.

Smoke could be seen billowing as the fire edged closer to a farmer's home in an area of the Amazon rainforest in Rondônia state.

'We are poor, my salary is just to feed my family. The fire comes to end everything in a fraction of seconds,' local resident Rosalino De Oliveira said. 

Continue reading...

The EU’s executive arm launched on Monday a consultation on proposed legislation setting land use emissions targets, in an attempt to ensure the bloc's carbon sinks will not decrease in next five years.

William Perry Pendley, who was nominated to lead the Bureau of Land Management, has claimed climate change doesn’t exist

In a rare acknowledgement of defeat, Donald Trump has withdrawn his nomination of a highly controversial figure for a top environment post.

William Perry Pendley is a conservative attorney and longtime opponent of public lands and wildlife protections who had been put forward to lead the Bureau of Land Management. It oversees 240m acres of public land and is charged with managing fossil fuel and mineral development while protecting conserved lands and endangered species.

Continue reading...

Warmer weather across California is pushing power consumption above pre-coronavirus levels and leading to rolling blackouts, with carbon-intensive sources making up a larger share of the grid, according to California Independent System Operator (CAISO) data.

From insurance and healthcare to social media and policing, algorithms are used all around us.

Reporting to the Value Chain Certification Manager, the Value Chain Certification Officer will serve as in-house technical expertise for the auditing of GHG projects and activities conducted in the context of value chain sustainability reporting, with a particular focus on land-use related activities, including soil carbon enhancement and forest carbon sequestration.

EUAs sank back towards €25 early on Monday, defying slightly higher energy prices to dip after a weak auction, with the halved August sale volumes continuing to fail to spur a rally.

Researchers find pollutants in all samples of lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys examined

Microplastic and nanoplastic particles have been discovered in human organs for the first time. The researchers found the tiny plastic pieces in all 47 samples of lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys they examined.

Microplastic pollution has affected the entire planet, from Arctic snow and Alpine soils to the deepest oceans. The particles can harbour toxic chemicals and harmful microbes and are known to harm some marine creatures. People are also known to consume them via food and water, and to breathe them, But the potential impact on human health is not yet known.

Continue reading...

Organization (Name/Acronym/Homepage): First Climate Markets AG Position (Title/Department/Project): Trader Environmental Commodities (m/f/x)

Organization (Name/Acronym/Homepage): First Climate Markets AG Position (Title/Department/Project): Key Account Manager (m/f/x) Climate Neutral, Green Energy